A Tragic Discovery
This week it is very difficult to think of anything else other than the tragic and horrific discovery of 215 children found buried at the site of a residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia. The history of Canada is rife with atrocities against the indigenous inhabitants of the land we call home. What went on at residential schools is only one aspect of this mistreatment.
As Christians, how do we understand that these monstrous acts were allowed to happen, often times within the umbrella of our very own faith?
The following posts are a small window into a reality most of us cannot relate to. We can however, educate ourselves and follow the teachings of Jesus to love our neighbours, and do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
Indigenous Indecencies
Schools of Shame
by Creating a Better World | June 2, 2021
In this article Mike Alexander shares his personal experience of having a father who survived living in a residential school in Manitoba. He speaks to the intergenerational scars left in the quake of the forced assimilation and cultural annihilation of innocent children.
With Heavy Hearts
by South on Broadway | Sep 2, 2013
How can one comfort a people who have been so deeply wronged? And yet as a nation, as Christians, as fellow human beings, we must find a way to help heal this gaping wound. At the very least, we must stand with our Native American sisters and brothers to shoulder this tremendous grief with them.
Creating a Better World
by SALT team | June 1, 2021
This week the notes can be seen as motivation for us to act in the face of the abominable findings in Kamloops, "And so this week is a perfect time to challenge ourselves, as individuals and as congregations: How can we more boldly and effectively stand against the world’s death-dealing forces, in ourselves and in our neighborhoods? Are we following Jesus, filled with the Spirit, into the fray?"
Living Our Faith Day-to-Day
After hearing the recent news of the mass grave found at Kamloops Residential School, many are overwhelmed with the realization of a very dark part in Canadian history as well as our present. Living our faith includes prayer. Richard Bott, the Moderator of the United Church of Canada has posted a prayer. We invite you to take a few minutes to pause and pray.